Classic Pasta e Fagioli Soup with beans, ground beef, fresh vegetables, small pasta noodles and a rich tomato broth. This easy soup recipe is a family favorite, and it’s so simple to prepare!
My mom’s husband is Sicilian, and he happens to be Pasta e Fagiloi Soup’s number one biggest fan. I had them over for soup and salad recently, and I made a big pot of this soup and sent them home with the leftovers to enjoy for lunch and dinner for several days.
The great news is that making the classic Italian soup at home is incredibly simple, easy to make in bulk to feed large families or have leftovers, and tastes so fresh and flavorful!
If your first debut with pasta e fagioli soup was at Olive Garden, you’re not alone. The restaurant chain boosted the popularity of this classic Italian soup recipe, making it a household favorite for so many.
Whether you’re a fan of the Olive Garden version or you love soup in general, I think you’ll love whipping up this simple recipe to share with friends and family, or for meal prep!
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients needed to make this easy soup recipe! The great news is you can find the full list of ingredients at all grocery stores.
Ingredients for Pasta e Fagioli Soup:
Ground Beef: Lean ground beef is our protein source and a major contributor to flavor.
Vegetables: Onion, garlic cloves, celery, and carrots are the fresh veggies we use in this soup to add a backbone of flavor.
Ditalini Pasta: The classic small round pasta in a traditional pasta e fagioli soup recipe. I haven’t found a gluten-free ditalini pasta so for a gluten-free version of this soup, you’ll likely need to use a different pasta shape.
Avocado Oil: We need cooking oil to sauté the vegetables and brown the beef. My favorite is avocado oil since it has a high smoke point. Olive oil works too, but be sure to cook over medium heat, as it burns easily.
Crushed Tomatoes and Tomato Sauce: Our tomato based soup requires crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce for that big rustic tomato flavor.
Chicken Broth: We need more liquid in addition to our tomato products, and chicken broth or chicken stock is the one for the job. Vegetable broth works here too.
Pure Maple Syrup: Used to cut the acidity from the tomato sauce. You can also use cane sugar.
Kidney Beans and White Beans: Bringing that squishy texture we all love, we’re adding a couple of cans of beans to the mix.
Italian Seasoning: Big herby flavor comes from the addition of Italian seasoning, which is a combination of many dried herbs. We’re covering many flavor bases by using a blend rather than using individual dried herbs. I also like sprinkling the finished soup with fresh parsley at the end.
Sea Salt and Black Pepper: Season the soup to your personal taste using salt and pepper.
Recipe Customizations:
- Swap the ground beef for ground Italian sausage for even deeper flavor.
- Any kind of beans work here if you prefer others, such as cannellini beans, pinto beans, black beans, garbanzo beans, great northern beans, etc.
- If you have a parmesan rind on hand, toss it in! You can also serve the soup with fresh parmesan cheese grated on top. Skip it if you’re dairy-free.
- For a kick of heat, add some red pepper flakes.
Now that we’ve covered the basic ingredients, let’s make a large pot of pasta fazool soup!
How to Make Pasta e Fagioli:
Heat the avocado oil in a large thick-bottomed pot (such as a Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add in the ground beef, break it into small chunks and brown it. There is no need to cook it through just yet. Transfer the garlic, celery, and carrots to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 3 minutes to allow the vegetables to soften.
Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, and pure maple syrup to the soup pot and bring it to a full boil.
Reduce the heat slightly and cook for 8 to 10 minutes at a controlled boil. Add in the pasta noodles, stir well, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until the pasta is al dente.
Serve immediately with fresh grated parmesan cheese and fresh parsley on top with a side of cornbread, garlic bread, or crusty bread and butter. I recommend serving this pasta e fagioli recipe with Caesar salad for a complete meal.
The soup tastes even better the next day after the flavors have had more time to develop. For this reason, don’t hesitate to make this classic soup in advance!
Storage Options:
- Refrigerator: Store leftover soup in the pot you used to prepare it or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Freezer: For longer term storage, double bag any leftovers in two large zip lock bags (or freezer bags or a freezer-safe container) and freeze for up to 2 months.
Recipe Tips:
- Add the pasta only at the end of cooking to avoid over-cooking the noodles. Once the pasta noodles are cooked, remove the pot of soup from the heat and serve it so that the noodles don’t continue cooking and become overly soft.
- If you have a parmesan rind on hand, add it to the soup at the same time as the tomato sauce and broth. This adds a richer flavor and a little creaminess.
And that’s it! The next time you’re entertaining guests during the cold months of the year, or you’re looking for a hearty soup to keep you feeling full and satisfied, whip up this classic gem!
If you love making homemade soups, also try some of my other reader favorites!
More Soup Recipes:
- Black Eyed Pea Soup
- Easy Vegetable Soup
- Coconut Lime Fish Soup
- Tomato Bisque Soup
- Creamy Chicken Soup
If you love hearty Italian soups, make this your new go-to!
Pasta e Fagioli Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 lb lean ground beef 90/10 recommended
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup celery finely chopped
- 1 cup carrots finely chopped
- 1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (15-oz) can tomato sauce
- 32 ounces chicken broth
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup or cane sugar
- 1 cup ditalini pasta
- 1 (15-oz) can kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-oz) can white beans or great northern beans drained and rinsed
For Serving:
- Fresh parsley minced
- Grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat the avocado oil in a large thick-bottomed pot (such as a Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add in the ground beef, break it into small chunks and brown it. There is no need to cook it through just yet. Transfer the garlic, celery, and carrots to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 3 minutes to allow the vegetables to soften.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, and pure maple syrup to the soup pot and bring it to a full boil. Reduce the heat slightly and cook for 8 to 10 minutes at a controlled boil. Add in the pasta noodles and beans, stir well, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until the pasta is al dente.
- Serve immediately with fresh grated parmesan cheese and fresh parsley on top with a side of cornbread, garlic bread, or crusty bread and butter. I recommend serving this pasta e fagioli recipe with Caesar salad for a complete meal.
We enjoyed this rich and hearty soup. One bowl was enough to warm and fill our tummies. We will be making this recipe again and again.
That makes me so happy to hear! I just love how simple it is to make and the fact that it is so hearty 🙂